Transaction Type and Payment Method Values

Forage has two distinct fields that separate the type of transaction from the payment method (tender) used:

transaction_type: the specific action (purchase, refund).
payment_method: the tender used (EBT, credit card).

The tables below are the authoritative value reference for both fields, applicable to any Forage report or API response. For step-by-step setup instructions, see How to set up SFTP reports; for shared field definitions, file naming, and conventions that apply to every CSV report, see CSV report conventions.

Transaction types

The transaction_type field categorizes transactions by purpose, such as purchase, refund, or fee. This table explains all transaction_type values found in reports.

Value	Description	Fund flow
`Purchase`	A standard transaction where a customer buys goods or services.	Credit to merchant
`Purchase_With_Cash_Back`	A transaction where a customer buys goods or services and also receives cash back. EBT Cash only. The merchant is reimbursed for both the purchase and the cash back amount.	Credit to merchant
`Refund`	A transaction where the customer is reimbursed for a previous purchase.	Debit from merchant
`Withdrawal`	A transaction where a customer withdraws EBT Cash funds without making a purchase. EBT Cash only. The merchant is reimbursed for the cash disbursed.	Credit to merchant
`Chargeback`	A reversal of funds initiated by the customer's bank or card issuer due to a disputed transaction. See Chargebacks for triggers and payout impact.	Debit from merchant
`Void_Purchase`	A Forage-initiated cancellation of a purchase transaction that timed out or returned an error to the platform, but was ultimately successful with the issuer. A `Void_Purchase` keeps the transaction from settling, preventing unintended charges or authorization holds.	Debit from merchant
`Void_Refund`	A Forage-initiated cancellation of a refund transaction that timed out or returned an error to the platform but was ultimately successful with the issuer. A `Void_Refund` stops the refund to prevent duplicate credits and keep reconciliation accurate.	Credit to merchant
`Negative_adjustment`	A transaction that reduces the balance or total amount due, typically used for accounting corrections.	Debit from merchant
`Positive_adjustment`	A transaction that increases the balance or total amount due, typically used for accounting corrections.	Credit to merchant
`Balance_Inquiry_Fee`	A fee applied when a successful balance check is performed on an account as specified in merchant agreements.	Debit from merchant
`Refund_Processing_Fee`	A fee applied to successful refund attempts, as specified in merchant agreements. This fee is charged separately from the refund transaction and appears as an independent row in reports.	Debit from merchant
`Canceled_Purchase`	A purchase attempt that never completed and was canceled. This occurs when a user cancels the payment, the payment times out, or PayFac authorization fails. If the transaction failed, the description includes the last processing error (for example, `Payment Last Processing Error: transaction_declined`). Informational only; no fund flow.	None

Payment methods

The payment_method field indicates the transaction tender, like EBT SNAP, credit, or FSA. This table explains payment_method values shown in reports.

Field	Value	Description
`payment_method`	`SNAP`	Transactions processed using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits via EBT.
	`EBT_Cash`	Transactions processed using EBT Cash benefits.
	`Credit_Debit`	Standard credit or debit card transactions processed directly through the merchant's payment processor.
	`Payfac_Credit_Debit`	Credit or debit card transactions processed by a payment facilitator (PayFac).
	`HSA`	Transactions processed using a Health Savings Account (HSA) card for eligible health-related purchases.
	`FSA`	Transactions processed using a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) card for eligible medical expenses.

If transaction_type is Positive_adjustment, Negative_adjustment, Balance_Inquiry_Fee, or Refund_Processing_Fee, payment_method is "".

Credit_Debit only applies to Fully Hosted Checkout. Payfac_Credit_Debit covers HSA/FSA transactions through the Forage payment facilitator (PayFac), a provider that processes card payments on the merchant's behalf. It is only available on Custom Checkout (JavaScript and iOS).

Where these fields appear

These two fields are exposed across the Forage Reporting API and the SFTP CSV reports.

Reporting API endpoints: Retrieve a Transaction Log and Retrieve a Payout Transaction Report.
CSV reports: Payout Transaction Report and Transaction Log columns in all three CSV report flavors. See Merchant (Charging to Merchant), Merchant (Charging to Platform), and Platform.